


You're Not Alone

by Darth_Malfoy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo is a Mess, Bring Ben Solo Back, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Dyad (Star Wars), Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, Force Ghost Luke Skywalker, Force Ghost(s), Force Healing, Happy Ending, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Redeemed Ben Solo, Resurrection, Rey Needs A Hug, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers, Virgin Ben Solo, Virgin Rey (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:34:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21987493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth_Malfoy/pseuds/Darth_Malfoy
Summary: ON HIATUS!What happens after Exegol? What turn will Rey's life take, now that Ben's not with her?This is my first fanfic, please be gentle guys :)
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron & Finn, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 29
Kudos: 110





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> This is a spoiler and fix-it fanfiction for The Rise of Skywalker, because all I can see is Ben Solo's pretty face whenever I close my eyes. My boy deserved better than that. Hope you like it. I don't know how many chapters this will be yet.  
> It's my first fic, and I'm really anxious. Hope it's good enough. :)
> 
> May the Force be with you.

Rey felt his overwhelming presence even before she was fully conscious.

He cradled her body in his arms, one of his palms pressed on her stomach as he transferred his own life force into her body. As Rey gained consciousness, she placed her own hand atop his, startling him. She sat up, staring at the man who had made his way into her heart long ago.

Ben looked up as soon as he felt Rey’s touch. His amber eyes were brimming with tears, his luscious raven locks a mess atop his head. He stared at her face with intense eyes, searching for something that assured him that she was indeed alive.

“Ben,” she sighed, her face breaking out in a toothy grin. She was so relieved that he was alright. She had thought that she lost him when Palpatine threw him over the cliff like a rag doll!

_I thought I lost you._

Ben’s voice spoke to her through their Force Bond, breaking into her thoughts with a warm caress.

_Me too, Ben, me too._

Rey reached out, touching his cheek softly. She traced his cheekbone with her thumb, her eyes followed the path. He didn’t have the scar left by her anymore, she had healed it when she healed him earlier after Leia’s death.

They stared at each other through teary eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Rey’s hand was still lazily caressing Ben’s cheek, while he held the back of her neck with one of his large hands.

It was Rey who leaned forward first, capturing Ben’s lips in a sudden kiss. She had never kissed anyone before, but she had thought about kissing Ben for a while now. She kissed him with everything she had, breathing him in like oxygen. She was afraid to let go of him.

Ben kissed her back with equal hunger, moving his plush lips against hers. Rey’s lips were soft under his own. He never wanted to let her leave his arms again, if it was up to him. He pulled away, searching her happy face with eager eyes. He grinned, showing teeth and dimples, an unfamiliar act which made Rey’s whole face light up with a grin of her own.

All of a sudden, Rey felt something inside her. The Force Bond, warm and inviting, was starting to feel different to her. Before she could understand what she was feeling, or ask Ben, his large body suddenly slumped forward on her shoulder. Realisation dawned upon her as the Bond was gradually growing colder and colder.

Ben Solo drained his life force trying to save her.

Ben Solo gave up his life so that she could live again.

“BEN! NO!” Rey screamed. She slowly lowered Ben’s heavy body on the floor beside her. He was lying completely still, eyes closed peacefully as his long locks fanned out on the stone floor. He was looking so beautiful with his pale skin and red lips and black hair. Rey felt tears running down her cheeks, as she touched Ben’s cheek.

“Open your eyes Ben! You can’t leave me alone! Not now! Not after everything!” She screamed again. Rey wasn’t even thinking about the war outside, whether they had won or not. All that mattered at the moment was Ben Solo, the man she had unintentionally fallen in love with.

She couldn’t foresee her future without him now. She loved him, Force knew she did! He turned, he switched sides, they could finally be together!

Ben was practically her soulmate!

How was she supposed to live without her other half?

Rey rested her head on Ben’s chest, just over his heart, hoping to found a heartbeat. “Be with me, Ben,” she mumbled between sobs. “Master Luke! Master Leia! Help me. Help Ben! I can’t let anyone steal him away from me. HELP! PLEASE, Masters of the past! Please help me. I just got him, I can’t lose him now!”

The Force hummed around them. Rey felt Ben’s body disappearing from underneath her. She jolted up, staring at the quickly fading body of her beloved.

“NO! No, no no no no!” She shouted, her voice hoarse, as nothing but his black clothing was left on the stone floor. Her grip tightened on the clothes, as if they would disappear too if she let go. “You can’t,” she said softly, pulling Ben’s sweater up to her chest and holding on to it. Tears fell down her cheeks in a steady stream.

She sat still for a while like that, sobbing silently, before she felt a change in the Force. A translucent figure stood before her, someone very familiar to her.

“Go home, kid,” Luke Skywalker’s voice spoke. Rey looked up with bloodshot eyes, glaring at her short-time Master.

“What home, Master Luke?” She seethed with rage. “The Resistance will see me as some hero, they won’t know what it took to defeat Palpatine. They will celebrate because Kylo Ren died. How can I go there after everything?”

Luke rubbed his temples. Even at death, these kids would never let him be in peace.

“Rey, Ben sacrificed his life so that you can live. Don’t disrespect that. Go back to your friends, and then live your life. That’s what Ben would have wanted.”

She kept glaring at him as she mulled over his words. She would sit there forever with Ben’s sweater if she could, but Luke was right. Ben’s sacrifice would be wasted if she did that.

Huffing, she placed the sweater on her lap and summoned the two lightsabers. They flew in her hands. Rey put them in their holsters, before slipping Ben’s sweater over her head. The piece of clothing was so large for her tiny body that she was practically swimming in the black fabric.

Luke observed the girl quietly as she folded up the rest of Ben’s clothes with care. He could see how much Ben’s death had affected her, but he couldn’t do anything, could he? She stood up, holding the clothing close to her. She nodded at Luke, and made her way out.

She sat in Luke’s X-Wing for a while, leaning against the seat and watching the Resistance aircrafts soaring above her. The war had been won, but at what cost? Sighing loudly, she dried her eyes with her sweater sleeve and put on the helmet, before flying off towards the Resistance base.

Celebration had already started as she landed her aircraft. Slinging the satchel across her body, she got off the plane. She saw people hugging each other, kissing and holding each other tight, knowing that this time, there would be no evil Sith lord lurking around the corner for them. Bitterness swirled inside her as she made her way through the crowd, touching the puncture mark in Ben’s sweater.

She spotted Finn and Poe at a distance, BB-8 at their feet. At first, she had thought about ignoring them and going straight to her bunk inside the Millennium Falcon, but she decided against it. Plastering a smile on her face, she went to the two Generals.

They were happy. She could feel the happiness radiate from her two friends as she approached them. Finn wrapped her in a tight hug, and Poe joined in. Rey tried to smile, tried to be happy, and she should be happy – for the galaxy would finally be at peace. But that wasn’t enough to fill the gap in her heart Ben left.

_How can you leave me alone here, Ben? I just got you and you left!_ She spoke through the now cold Force Bond, if it existed anymore.

Finn was going on and on about how he and Jannah bombed the deck of the Command Ship, but not a word of what he was saying entered Rey’s ears. She nodded along absentmindedly, the same fake smile plastered in her face for so long that her cheeks were hurting from the effort.

“I’m extremely tired, guys,” she found herself cutting Finn off. “I need to rest for a while.”

“Oh! Of course! Of course!” Finn said, “we’ll see you later then!”

“Yeah,” Rey said meekly.

“Wait, Rey. Whose sweater is this?”

_Damn you, Poe!_ Why did he have to be so observant all the time?

“Ben’s,” Rey answered shortly. She made to walk away again when Finn spoke up.

“ _‘Ben’_? Ben who?” The brunette sucked in a deep breath. She knew that Poe was well aware of who Ben was, and suspected that the knowledge might extend to Finn as well. She eyed the two men, who were waiting for her to answer.

“What happened to Kylo Ren, Rey? Are you hiding something from us?” Poe asked, suddenly.

What was she going to say? She didn’t need to justify Ben’s actions to them, they wouldn’t understand. To them, it would be just one less enemy. They wouldn’t understand what Rey and Ben had between them.

“No.” That was all she said before moving past them to the confines of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie stood at the ramp, and she found herself offering a genuine smile at the Wookiee. She patted his fur before walking inside the aircraft.

Once she figured out what she wanted to do next, she’d hand the Falcon over to Chewie. That much she knew. But she didn’t know what she was going to do next. Life without Ben’s presence was already turning out to be hard.


	2. chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR guys!!! I don't have any plans except for reading fanfictions, lmao... Anyway, here's a new chapter, I hope you guys like it. :) :) <3 Kudos and comments are always appreciated.

A week had passed since the Resistance’s victory over the Final Order.

Rey had kept herself very busy in the meantime. She was correct in predicting that she would be treated as the Jedi hero who saved them all. She hated taking all the credits. All of the Resistance fought equally to defeat that fleet, and as for defeating Palpatine –

How could she not recognise Ben Solo’s sacrifice? Without him, she could never defeat her evil grandfather.

But the Resistance would not be able to handle the truth, so she lied whenever someone asked about the fight between her and Palpatine.

“I don’t remember,” she would say, every time.

She trained throughout the day in the deep forest. BB-8 and D-O trailed behind her sometimes, and that was about as much company she was preferring nowadays. Her form was getting better, but there was still something amiss.

_“You need a teacher.”_

Ben’s voice still rang in her ears, almost as if he was standing beside her.

She also tended to spend some time just staring blankly at nothing in particular, imagining Ben sitting across her, staring at her with his warm whiskey coloured eyes, his dark mane framing his face beautifully.

_Maker, she loved him so much, and he had to die for her to finally admit it!_

Sometimes, Rey would imagine that maybe finally the Solos were reunited, Ben was with his parents. But most of the time she would be selfish, she would pray for some miracle to happen so her only love would be with her again.

Maybe they could find Force sensitive people across the galaxy and train them together, make a new Jedi Order.

Rey couldn’t afford to get her hopes up like that.

So, she trained harder. And when she wasn’t training, she liked to tinker with the aircrafts at the base.

After the big fight, a lot of them were in bad condition, so Rey joined Rose and her group of mechanics to fix them up. She didn’t let anyone touch Luke’s X-Wing; it was now hers. When she was done with it, the old aircraft was shining like a brand new one.

Rey had scratched her name on the helmet. Just **‘REY’** , like she had always been. Now that she knew who she was, and what her last name was, she couldn’t bring herself to use it. She didn’t want anyone to mistrust her because of her real identity.

Currently, she was sitting on top of the Falcon with Chewie, doing some last-minute work on it. The Wookiee had thought about going back to Kashyyyk for a while, now that there was no one here to hold him back, with Leia and Han both being dead. General Lando Calrissian was there as well, keeping the two of them company.

“You know kid, Han fell in love with this beauty when he first saw her,” Lando said, touching the metal lovingly. Chewie roared, agreeing with him.

“Really?” Rey urged on, listening intently as the General recalled Han’s story.

She found herself imagining the old man in his young age, gallivanting across the galaxy. She didn’t get the chance to know Han better, but he had already earned Rey’s respect in the small amount of time they spent together. He was the first person who seemed like a potential father figure to the young brunette.

She was lost in the story when she saw someone standing right in front of her on top of the Falcon. Rey stood up as well, tilting her head to look at the stranger.

At a glance, it seemed like Han Solo was standing there. But as Rey looked clearly, she could spot the tell-tale differences. The tall man in front of her was too familiar to her. He was dressed in the same kind of clothes Han wore, light, casual, with a blaster strapped to one thigh, but there was a lightsaber attached to his belt as well. He looked at her with his intense amber eyes full of adoration, his plump lips pulled up in a smirk.

It was Ben. There was no mistaking it, it was indeed him. He was there, as real as she was. Ben reached out to her, stretching out his right hand, palm facing upwards for her to take. Rey was looking at him with wide, teary eyes as she outstretched her own hand.

“Rey!” Lando’s voice snapped her out of her trance. She found herself standing on top of the Falcon with one hand outstretched. “You alright there, kid?”

She looked around and withdrew her hand, wiping her palms on her pants. Ben was not there. But she could swear that it was not a vision, or just her imagination. _It was him._

“Y-yeah, yeah. I’m – fine.” She hastily wiped at her eyes. Chewie touched her shoulder lightly, growling at her to tell her to take a break from working. She nodded, jumping down from the Falcon and landing gracefully on the hangar floor.

“You don’t seem fine. Is something the matter?” Lando asked again. Rey nodded once more, feeling worse with every passing moment, knowing that Lando and Chewie were the only people – _other than her_ – who knew Ben as, well, Ben Solo. She felt guilty, for not telling them what happened to him, how he finally embraced the light side at the end.

“I… I need to tell you guys something. It needs to stay between the three of us, though. Chewie, can you come down here for a while?”

And then she told them everything, sitting on the ramp of the Falcon. She told them about the Bond they shared and what it meant. She told them about who she really was – their reaction was almost comical at this, but not negative.

She told them how Ben turned to the light, how he fought side by side with her, using the Skywalker lightsabers. She broke down again when she recalled how Ben saved her life in exchange for his own.

There was a silence after she was finished, her sobs being the only noise in the hangar.

“I always had hope for Ben.” Lando’s deep voice cut through the silence that followed Rey’s tale. “I knew that there was some good in him still. You brought that good out of him, thank you for that. Leia and Han would be so proud of you. And, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry, kid. I didn’t know that you two became that close.”

“Neither did I,” she admitted, lowering her head.


	3. chapter three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am, with a new chapter. Hope you guys like it!  
> P.S. : Slight StormPilot in this chapter. ;)

A while later, Rey was finishing up her work on the Millennium Falcon. She caressed the pilot’s seat lightly, before turning around and getting out. Chewbacca and General Calrissian were all set to leave today, they were only waiting for Poe and Finn to return to the base.

Her two friends had been exceptionally busy the past week. Finn was talking about starting some facility for the Stormtroopers to find their families. He had briefly discussed the idea with her before he had to leave with Poe to Coruscant or some equally important planet for political stuff – such as, rebuilding the Republic.

Rey didn’t like politics. But as the last known Jedi alive, Poe said that she might have to make appearances at the senate. She told her friend that he’d face the blazing end of Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber if he dragged her into politics.

That got Poe off her back.

On the other hand, Finn didn’t talk to her about whatever he wanted to tell her back at Pasaana, yet. Rey knew – it was hard to ignore another Force sensitive being in such a close proximity, but she wanted her friend to tell her at his own time. She was hoping to have that talk with him when he returned.

The sun was almost setting when Poe and Finn came back. Rey was in her quarters, going through one of the old Jedi books about lightsabers, when Rose knocked on her door, bearing the news.

“Finn and Poe are back!” The smaller girl exclaimed as soon as Rey opened her door.

“They are?” Rey asked, a smile tugging up her lips. “Let’s go then!”

The meeting area didn’t have many people when Rey and Rose entered. Poe was talking to General Calrissian, and Finn was just standing beside him, nodding absentmindedly. He spotted the girls soon and rushed towards them, a big grin on his face.

“Rey! Rose!” He exclaimed. He wrapped both of them in a tight hug. Rey chuckled, patting her friend’s back lightly.

“Hello to you too,” she said.

“Missed us much, did you?” Rose teased, poking Finn’s arm. His eyes quickly moved towards Poe before settling on the short girl in front of him.

“Absolutely not,” he declared. Rey rolled her eyes.

“Whatever you say. How was work?”

“Eh, boring.” Finn gave an exaggerated shrug. “Poe enjoys it, though. He’s totally meant for this.” With this, Finn glanced at Poe again. He looked up, sending Finn a wink, before turning back to his conversation.

Neither of them noticed the two flabbergasted girls who saw the entire exchange. Rey turned her head towards Rose, who was already looking at her with a shocked expression. Rey turned back towards Finn, who was still staring at Poe with a look on his face that she knew all too well.

Because Ben looked at her with that exact same look on his face in his last moments.

Rey sucked in a breath. _‘Get a hold of yourself,’_ she told herself. She gave a light cough, which made Finn turn towards the girl like a deer caught in the headlights. Rey raised an eyebrow at him.

“How did your Stormtrooper programme go?” She asked, changing the topic as she sensed the unease on him. He visibly relaxed, before explaining to them about his plans. It was a good cause, and Finn had planned it quite well.

“I mean, I’m not asking to let them all go. I’m just trying to reunite them with their families, whatever happens after that, it’ll be the Republic’s decision,” he explained.

Finn continued telling them stories about his experience. After a while, Poe clapped his hands, making everyone look at him.

“I have an announcement to make,” he said, “where are the others? Gather everyone here. Fast.”

Rey looked at Rose, then at Finn, who shrugged.

“Let’s hope Kylo Ren isn’t somehow coming back to attack us,” Rose joked. Rey stiffened at her words, but didn’t react. This kind of comments were expected. She managed a small smile.

“N-no, Poe seems happy about whatever he wants to announce,” she said, “excuse me.”

She approached Poe as they waited for everyone to gather. He saw her coming and raised his eyebrows, holding his arms out. He wrapped her in a hug as soon as she was in front of him.

“Hello, young lady,” he joked, “didn’t train too much while we were gone, did you?”

Rey pulled away from him. “I can train with you on my back now,” she announced with a smirk. Poe rolled his eyes.

“That’s a lie. I can sense a lie when I hear one,” he said, poking her biceps. “ _Kriff!_ Your muscles are better than mine!”

Rey smirked again, making Poe grimace. “What’s this announcement about, anyway?” She asked, resting her arm on his shoulder.

It was his turn to smirk.

“Oh, won’t you like to know, _Miss Jedi_?” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Now now, don’t be like that. I can always use the Jedi mind trick on you,” she whispered, narrowing her eyes. He mock-gasped, touching his chest.

“I’m _so_ scared!” He whispered back. “Just wait - oh, everyone’s here anyway. Showtime!”

“Alright, we have everyone in here?” He asked, his gleaming eyes scanning the crowd. With the murmured affirmation, he nodded. “Great. Don’t worry, it’s nothing morbid. I was thinking about having a party this evening. Chewbacca and General Calrissian are leaving the base until duty calls, so we ought to give them a farewell. Plus, it’s one week of our victory, we should celebrate.” He paused for effect. “What do you guys think?”

The sound of cheering answered Poe’s question. He nodded.

“Alright then, off you go.”

Rey stood in her quarters, her small wardrobe open before her. There were not much inside. She had some five or six sets of her regular outfit – all in either grey or white. There was one in a sandy colour, but it was torn in places. She grimaced. She had never been to a party before, but Rose and Jessika told her that her regular outfit would not do. Jessika kindly offered to let her borrow one of her dresses if she didn’t have anything else.

She might take her up on that.

Rey eyed the only ‘good’ clothing she owned. Leia gave it to her after Crait. The dress was floor length, a soft fabric she’d never touched before. It was navy-blue in colour, with intricate gold designs all over it. She never wore it, afraid that it would be ruined if she wore it.

“Well, Jessika, you better have something good for me,” she muttered, touching the gown lightly before closing her wardrobe.

Half an hour later, Rey looked at her reflection in Jessika’s mirror. She whistled, touching her hair in disbelief. It was let loose, Jessika did something with some machine to make it fall in soft waves on her back. She wore a pair of tight black pants and a flowy red top.

“You look so good!” Rose squealed. Rey gave an uncertain smile, before looking at her reflection again.

“Yeah, you should wear this kind of clothes more, they suit you,” Jessika said, “I’ll take you to the place where I got them.”

“Thanks, but I won’t be able to train in them,” Rey mumbled. The girls chuckled at her words.

“Don’t you worry about that tonight. C’mon, let’s go outside and see what Poe has planned for us,” Jessika patted her back.


	4. chapter four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party, and a new Force Ghost appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I just realised that I should have a posting schedule, so I'm going to be posting on Saturdays from now on. This story doesn't have any Reylo actions yet, and I'm sorry for that. Soon it will contain actual Reylo. I just wanted to explore Rey's life post Ben's death.
> 
> And of course, thank you for 1000+ hits! Kudos and comments are always welcome. Love y'all. <3  
> Follow me on twitter if you want, my user is @darth_malfoy.

Rey had been a little self-conscious about her appearance when she followed Rose and Jessika to the party. She never got dressed in such things before, and even though she felt pretty back in Jessika’s quarters, she wasn’t so sure about that now. She had seen a lot of people do a double-take when she walked in, surprised to see their resident Jedi in something other than her usual garb.

She fiddled with her hair as she took in the redecorated mess hall. While she had never been to a party before, she had the briefest knowledge of them from holovids and stories she’d heard here at the Resistance.

This party was nothing like those extravagant ones. It was an intimate affair, an excuse for healing from everything that happened a week ago. The long tables where everyone ate were moved around to be placed against the walls, clearing the space. Loud, upbeat music in some other language was booming in the room.

The food and drinks arrangement were otherworldly. There were so many varieties of food spread out on two tables. They looked delicious, and smelled even better! Rey licked her lips, hoping to taste all of the dishes that were there.

“ _Would you look at this!_ ” Rose gasped with a chuckle. “Damn, he organised all these in just a few hours! _What?!_ ” She was shaking her head, as she passed drinks to Jessika and Rey.

“Poe is a _wonder-boy_ ,” Jessika said, taking a sip of her drink. “Ooh! It’s been _years_ since I’ve drank expensive alcohol!”

Rey sniffed the drink, before giving it a little taste. Rose was literally moaning at the drink, but she didn’t think it was… _that_ good. It tasted weird, _a good kind of weird_ , but weird nonetheless. Well, she never drank alcohol before, so she supposed her opinion wouldn’t matter in this issue.

“Isn’t it good?” Rose was asking her. Rey nodded slowly, not sure what to say. “Oh, look, there’s Poe and Finn! Over here, guys!” She yelled, waving the two men over. Dressed in casual attire like herself, they looked really good. Poe’s hair was a bit messier than usual, giving him a roguish look.

“Hey,” Finn greeted, flashing them all a big grin. He grabbed two glasses of the same drink the girls were drinking, and handed one to Poe.

“Thanks for this, Poe!” Rose exclaimed, high-fiving him. “Thanks for the party and the expensive alcohol! This is too good!”

“Yeah! How did you organise the party so fast? What’s your secret, _wonder-boy_?” Jessika poked him in the ribs with her free hand. Poe gave her a lazy smirk.

“I aim to please, _sweetheart_.” He bowed. “And I like that name, thanks! I planned the party before I left, I knew nobody would say no. I was originally going to buy the alcohol, but then we got this expensive stuff as gifts.” He raised his glass in a toast.

“All thanks to Rey,” Finn quipped, “they sent the alcohol and some other things to the hero who defeated Emperor Palpatine. You could’ve come with us, peanut, people wanted to see you.”

To say that Rey was uncomfortable was an understatement. She tossed back her _‘expensive alcohol’_ , before reaching for another one. She was going to need this to endure the night, she could see it.

“I’m _not_ a showpiece,” she muttered, “besides, I didn’t defeat him alone. Every single one of you fought with me.”

“But you were the one who killed Palpatine, didn’t you?” Finn prompted, “that makes you a hero.”

Finn didn’t mean to rub salt in her wounds, she knew that. But every mention of that night twisted the dagger wedged inside her heart. She couldn’t tell them everything. _Not right now._

Poe sensed her discomfort and came to her rescue. He wrapped his free arm around her. “Come on, keep your office talks away from this party! Rey, _sweetie_ , did I mention how good you’re looking tonight?” He spoke the last part softly, squeezing her shoulder.

Rey gave him a grateful look. “Thank you.” She smiled at him. “You look good too.”

“I always look good,” he said, giving her a wink. “Now, let’s enjoy this party instead of talking about the past, yeah?”

Thanks to Poe, there were no more mentions of the battle. Rey found herself tasting some of the food, as she had planned. She was having a genuinely nice time, mingling with her friends and fellow Resistance members. She drank two more glasses of that drink, hoping that it really took all the pain and sorrow away like everyone said. She was a little drunk, she thought, well, no. _More than a little._ She was _seeing things_ now.

How else would she explain the tall translucent man standing beside her at the drinks table?

Rey mistook the man for Ben at first. But as she looked at the scowling man closely, she realised that he was anyone but _him_. This man, while tall, was slightly shorter than Ben was. His shoulder-length hair was worn in a different style than Ben’s, and it was a completely different colour. She thought it might be blond-ish, since she couldn’t spot the actual colour due to the blue hallow surrounding him.

Rey shook her head, turning away from him and reaching to take a different drink. She downed it in a second, still wondering how the hell she was drinking so much for a first-time drinker.

“You really need to cut off the drinking.”

The girl jumped from the invasion of the sudden voice, placing her empty shot glass roughly on the surface. She whipped her head around to see the translucent man grimacing at her.

“Who are you?” She asked, her voice slurring a little. “I _need_ to drink.”

“You need to drink **_water_**.” He stressed. “This might seem all fun right now, but you’re gonna regret it as soon as you wake up tomorrow.”

“Well, if I drink enough, maybe I’ll not wake up tomorrow. I’ll be with Ben.”

_What the hell was she saying?_ She thumped her fist against her forehead. It was not like she hadn't thought about joining Ben in the afterlife before, but she had never said it out loud. The hallucination was right, she needed to cut off drinking now. Because she was talking with someone conjured up by her own imagination.

The man was muttering something. Rey strained her ears to catch a few phrases like, “I don’t understand why _I_ had to come,” “stupid kids,” “I _hate_ interacting with people,” and “this isn’t funny, Obi-Wan!”

“You aren’t my imagination, are you?” Rey spoke quietly, realising that he couldn't be something she conjured up. How could she conjure someone she had never seen before? The man stopped muttering and glared at her.

“You were thinking that I was just a figment of your imagination?” He scoffed. “Rey, I am _Anakin Skywalker_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be longer, but I thought, why not break it into two chapters?


	5. chapter five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Yeah, I know I said I was gonna post every Saturday, but I was procrastinating. *laughs nervously* Here's the new chapter, I hope you guys like it. Also, this story is unbeta'd, any mistake is my own. English isn't my first language, so please forgive me if there are any grammatical error.  
> Alright, I won't stall you anymore. Onto the next chapter, hope it's good enough!  
> Keep on supporting, give your feedbacks. I love you all!
> 
> If you want to follow me on Twitter, here's my handle (I don't know how to turn it into a link please help someone) :- @darth_malfoy :):)

Rey’s hazel eyes went wide almost comically as soon as the man introduced himself. Who did he say he was? _Anakin Skywalker?!_ She gulped as realisation dawned upon her. This couldn’t be a dream. This definitely was **not** a dream. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected Anakin Skywalker of all people to show up in front of her!

_He was Darth Vader!_

Suddenly, Rey felt tremors crawling up her spine. **_He was Darth Vader._ **This fact blared inside her head like an alarm. She snuck a look at him. But this man – _ghost_ – standing before her didn’t seem to be the least bit fearsome. He looked like a regular person, a bit intimidating like Luke or Ben, but he didn’t instil fear inside her at the first glance. Not until she recalled just _who_ he was.

“I need another drink,” Rey muttered, reaching forward to pick up another one of those shots. She gulped it down in one go, wincing when the strong liquid went down her throat.

Meanwhile, Anakin was observing her every move carefully. It was obvious that she was ruffled by his presence. _Of course,_ who wouldn’t be? He sighed as the girl drank another shot, regretting his decision to come here as the representative.

He had seen the future, along with all other Jedi in the afterlife. They all knew what to come unless someone intervened. Anakin was sent here by Leia, Luke and Obi-Wan, because, in Leia’s words, “ _it’s all your fault!_ ” He couldn’t really say anything against that, because he knew that it was really his fault, and he regretted everything he did. So, he had no choice but to come to the Resistance base and talk to Rey.

The future would not be kind to the galaxy, _and_ _to Rey._ After Ben’s death, Rey had become a ticking time-bomb. It would be only a matter of time before she exploded and embraced the dark residing within her. And when she would, she was going to be worse than everyone before her, including Darth Vader himself, Kylo Ren _and_ Emperor Palpatine.

Ben and Rey had both light and dark coexisting within them. They were a Force Dyad, each other’s equals, counter-parts. In simpler words, _soulmates_. Their light and dark only became balanced when they were with each other. When they had each other. Now that Ben was… _no more_ … that balance was lost. Rey would seek revenge for her soulmate’s death, killing _everyone_ who was alive when her soulmate was not, she would not even spare her Resistance friends.

The only way to stop her from walking down this path was to bring Ben Solo back to her. Which was the main reason Anakin being here, not to chaperone this stupid, loud victory party.

_Speaking of…_

The alcohol was making Rey think. While she was feeling a mix of nervousness and fear before, now there was anger rising inside her. He was _Darth Vader_ , the person who ruined his own family, along with all the other destruction he brought upon the galaxy.

_He was one of the biggest reasons why her Ben fell._

Her grip on the glass in her hand tightened. She was having a sudden urge to stab him with his own lightsaber. He could’ve saved Ben, couldn’t he? Rey glared at the spirit who seemed to be lost in thoughts.

“Why are you here?” She asked, trying to keep her voice low. All she wanted to do was shout at him, but she would only seem like a drunken idiot if she did it right here in the middle of a party. No one but herself could see Anakin, so it would seem like she was screaming at thin air. She couldn’t put her dignity in the line like that.

Anakin was brought back from his train of thoughts. She watched as he trained his eyes on her again. “I need to talk to you.”

“About?”

“Something _very, very_ important for you and the galaxy.”

Rey nodded. “Right. And since when did you start caring for the galaxy, _Darth Vader_?” She asked with a biting tone.

Her question surprised Anakin Skywalker, she could see it. His eyes widened before he schooled his features to fix her with a cold glare.

“Do **not** call me that,” he hissed, “I haven’t been Darth Vader in a _long_ time.”

“But the damage was done, regardless, _wasn’t it_?”

Anakin took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Opening them again, he looked at Rey. “ _Listen,_ I don’t have time for this. Get some sober-up pills or something, because what I want to talk to you about _is_ serious, whether you believe it or not, and I need you to have a clear mind. Go to some place where it’s not so crowded. I’ll be back once you’re sober enough.”

He disappeared before Rey could say something in response. She glared at the spot the spirit was moments prior. She didn’t like him at all, neither did she want to follow his orders. But she couldn’t deny the fact that his words intrigued her. A part of herself was telling her not to trust him, but another part was persistent that listening to him would be the right path for her. She could find everything she needed if she just listened to him.

Rey was a naturally curious person, so she made up her mind. She was going to follow Darth Vader’s orders for the _first and last time._


	6. chapter six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! This time, I'm updating early! My updating schedule's going to be messy after this update, since my college is starting from this Monday. It's my final semester, so I expect that there will be a lot of pressure. I'll try to keep up with my usual updating schedule.  
> Anyway, here's the new chapter for you guys. I hope you like it. Kudos and comments are always welcome.  
> Love you all, thank you for supporting this story. It means a lot to me. :) :)
> 
> You can also connect to me on twitter [darth_malfoy](https://twitter.com/darth_malfoy) :) DM me whenever, I'm always up for chatting with people.

Rey found out that sober-up pills could do wonders. Her heavy head and hazy vision were cured as soon as she chugged down the pills, making her good as new. She thanked the droid for its service and got out of the med bay.

She decided to take a quick trip to her quarters. Once there, she quickly changed out of Jessika’s fancy clothes and shoes. She wanted to be comfortable while talking to Anakin Skywalker, and that was only possible if she was in her usual garb. Besides, it was not like she was going back to the party, she should have known it would turn out to be a total disaster.

She got dressed in a dark grey tunic, a pair of black leggings, and topped the outfit with her black knee-high boots. She gathered her brunette locks up in a tight bun on top of her head. There, now she was ready to face Ben’s grandfather’s spirit. Her staff was resting against a wall, she contemplated taking it with her. After a few moments staring at the weapon, she exhaled loudly, shaking her head. She didn’t need it.

Soon, she was walking out of the base. The party was still going strong, Rey had to cover her ears when she passed the mess hall. _Kriff,_ the music had gotten louder than earlier! She wanted to thank Anakin for his intervention, because if the music was _this_ loud from outside, she didn’t want to experience it from inside the room.

Rey traipsed towards the deep forest where she trained and meditated. It was far from the base, so there would be no chance that someone caught her talking to the _air_. She sat down on a large, flat rock, wondering whether she had to call for Anakin or if he would materialise in front of her in his own time.

All the anger and hatred she felt earlier dissolved as soon as she sobered up. Now she could only feel an overwhelming nervousness. _Maker,_ she _really_ did talk back to Anakin Skywalker, didn’t she? She’d be quivering in her boots if Anakin was still alive. Well, _who was she kidding,_ just the thought about meeting his _ghost_ without alcohol in her stomach was giving her shivers!

She didn’t mean to snap at him, she supposed. It could be blamed on the alcohol and Anakin’s sudden appearance, mixed with the bad impression he already had on Rey from the beginning.

_‘I wonder what Ben would’ve done if_ _he_ _knew I practically yelled at his dearest grandpa,’_ she thought bitterly, a sigh escaping her as she continuously fiddled with her fingers.

“Feeling sad, are we?” Anakin’s voice cut through the silence of the forest, startling Rey to the point she fell off the rock. She scrambled to her feet, berating herself mentally for being so clumsy.

“ _Yes,_ actually.” She found herself saying. “It’s been a _whole week_ since I lost _him,_ and… _I don’t know how not to feel sad._ I can’t believe that he’s not here with me, he will _never_ be with me again.”

 _Oh maker!_ Why did she tell him that? Embarrassed, Rey toyed with the edge of her tunic, hanging her head. A sigh sounded from her companion, making her look up.

_“I understand.”_

Rey gaped at the ghost. He was staring at the canopy of trees above them, muttering something under his breath. Eventually, he looked at Rey and heaved another sigh.

“Look, let’s just talk about the topic in hand, okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, okay. _NO! Wait!_ ” She exclaimed, “I need to ask you something.”

“Let me guess, why I didn’t help Ben?” He cocked an eyebrow. Rey’s face held an expression of pure shock. “Don’t be surprised, his mother also asked. When you have a reputation as bad as mine, people tend to assume the worst of you.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, but she felt kind of… _bad_ for him. Without letting her dwell too much on her thoughts, Anakin continued speaking.

“Snoke – _Palpatine_ – he had dwelled inside Ben’s head since his childhood. He _twisted_ his mind- ” then he muttered something like _“just like he did with me”_. “My voice couldn’t reach Ben. _Believe me_ when I say this, Rey, I **never** wanted my grandson to make the same mistakes as I did.”

“Umm…” Rey still didn’t find anything to say. Anakin sighed, again.

“Leia didn’t believe me when I told her this,” he scoffed.

“Well, you did make her watch you destroy her home planet,” she quipped. He grimaced.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I don’t need a reminder. _Anyway,_ this is not the time to talk about the messed-up past.”

“Right,” Rey muttered, “what about the future? Why do you need to talk to _me_ about the future of the galaxy?”

_And then,_ Anakin unloaded his knowledge upon her. He told her how exactly Ben’s death would affect her future. He described to her in detail what awaited her. Rey listened with baited breath as he explained how strong and destructive she’d become, all because Ben was not there to keep her balanced.

When he finished his tale, Rey had tears in her eyes. After everything, she was fated to become the ruthless _Sith_ her evil grandfather wanted her to become.

“That’s a lot to register,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “What- _how_ do I prevent it? How do I prevent myself from turning to the dark side?”

“ _If_ you want to listen to my personal opinion,” Anakin started, “I’d say that you need knowledge of _both_ light and dark to help you be better. There is nothing evil about the powers of the dark side of the Force, _until_ the user manipulates the powers to serve an evil purpose.”

“Right,” she said, staring at him. “That was deep, seeing how _you_ were one of the evil users.” She winced as soon as she said that. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s the bitter truth.” Anakin grimaced. “And to answer your original question, you have only one way to prevent yourself from turning evil. By being with Ben.”

“By being with Ben,” Rey repeated, “so, what you are meaning to say is, I need to die?”

“What? _No!_ When did I say _that_?” He exclaimed, “kid, you need to bring your lover back to life. _Resurrect him from death._ Ben needs to live, it’s the will of the Force.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope Anakin and Rey aren't too OOC! Also, I don't know if any kind of instant sober-up medicines actually exist in the SW universe, but after reading so many Harry Potter fanfictions and sober-up potions, I thought why not? :p


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